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Im taking my test drive today and placed my deposit a few weeks ago. I'm just wondering if any 60kWh owners wished they opted for the 85kWh model ?

im looking at the 60kWh do to cost and my driving habits but just wondering the user experience.

D

Swigg66 | 21 Avril 2013

Love the 60kwh it goes very fast and goes as far as I need it too!!

scole04 | 21 Avril 2013

Same here. I love my 60kwh.

info | 21 Avril 2013

I was torn between the 60 and 85. I came down with the 85 based on the fact that the range was shrinking. When I first started to look at the Model S, the 85 was rated at 300 miles and the 60 at 230. Then it was 270 for the 85 and 210 for the 60. There was talk about putting Supercharges 200 miles apart. I thought that the range might be a bit puffy. With that, and the fact that you'd have to pay $2,000 for the supercharging equipment and the unlimited mileage on the battery warranty, I made the upgrade.

The truth of the matter is that until the Supercharges are in place, the car is not a real alternative for cross country travel. That being said, if you don't drive more than 185 miles/day, the 60 is everything the 85 is.

spraisoody | 21 Avril 2013

I have the 60. If you don't need the range, it's a great car. No complaints, the acceleration is still pretty good. I don't think you could tell the difference between the 85 and the 60 if you were to drive them both. The performance on the other hand....

rbgil770 | 21 Avril 2013

Love my 60kwh!!! Range is exactly what I need for a daily commuter & occasional road trip. Acceleration is also more than enough. As mentioned above, unless you really need the added range, you'll be quite happy with the 60kwh. Also as mentioned above, P85 is a different story... ;)

Trekker56 | 21 Avril 2013

Just got the 60 kWh delivered yesterday and we're very happy -- livin in the DC metro area the longest road trip we'll take is DC to NYC for which the 60 with supercharging is plenty (more superchargers on the east coast should be coming).

I had test driven the 85 and honestly could not tell the difference in the instant accelerate (0-30 numbers are the same for both cars and 0-60 in the 60 kWh is really 5.6 as measured by several people here and Teslamotorsclub.com).

60 is slightly lighter and more efficient also, I think.

tommers | 21 Avril 2013

I got the 60kWH and I'm really happy with it. While I sometimes wonder if I should have gotten the 85, I've never actually needed the extra range and rarely felt like I would have truly appreciated the extra power. The times I'm enjoying the car most (windy roads) wouldn't be much difference and it would be mostly for those times I feel like accelerating quickly on a straightaway. And since there's a thing called speed limits, I feel like I can only appreciate the acceleration for a few seconds anyway.

The thing that deterred me is that I figured it would be really rare that I needed the extra range over the life of the car. Maybe I'll have 10 trips at most over the next 5 years where I'll use my wife's hybrid instead of the Tesla. And so it seemed hard to justify paying $1,000 dollars per trip for a better driving experience. Other people may end up having way more opportunities to go past the range of the 60, but I would guess most people on the fence would end up maxing out less than they imagine on the 60.

When I made the decision I hadn't fully appreciated how variable the range would be and basically assumed I'd get 210 miles/charge and could only think of a few trips I've taken in the last five years that were more than that. But since the range is variable, I realized that shorter trips like Napa, Sonoma or Big Sur were just far enough away from where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area to give me anxiety about going there without a charging station. So I'd be conservative in estimating whether the car can do the sort of trips you're anticipating and assume you'll get 180 miles per charge and 160 if you're looking to drive fun and fast most of the way. And of course if you don't have a partner with an ICE, it's a lot riskier compromising on range.

Sudre_ | 21 Avril 2013

I have the 60kWh. I love the car and the range works for all my needs. If you can afford the 85kWh it would probably be worth it. The range on the 60kWh is pretty much 180 miles from a max charge. At least that's what I set my limit at so there is some buffer. That has worked for me in winter and now in spring altho in winter it is cutting it very close.

mpottinger | 21 Avril 2013

The 60 has been plenty for us. We've only had it a few weeks, but the 60 has been plenty for traveling around the front range of Colorado, even in cold weather.

dondennis | 22 Avril 2013

I'll echo the chorus. I've had my 60kWh for 11 weeks (5,000 miles) and love it. Having test-driven the 85 (non-performance) version, any performance difference is too subtle for me to discern. This car easily handles 50 mile round trip daily commute + all the extra shopping trips, errands, and pleasure driving for our needs. There are no superchargers (yet) in Florida, so long distance trips do require a little more planning, but certainly doable. As long as the projected range meets your driving requirements, save the extra money and get the 60 - you will not be disappointed.

darobin77 | 22 Avril 2013

Thank you all for your replies, i love this community. i have been scouring and reading as much as i can.

So yesterday i took the test drive. Im sold, calling today to release my reservation for production, its currently on hold.

I asked the gentlemen every question i can think of and the only think i have to consider is the twin charger.

I drive <30mil to work one way, i have a 110v plug behind my parking spot at work and while at work i am relatively close to the Hawthorne super charger station. I also plan on installing 240v/40a at my house so thats the last decision i need to make, and i guess financing :).

Thanks All

riceuguy | 22 Avril 2013

On the twin chargers, for the 60kwh consider that it's not terribly practical, as you can fully charge in about 7-8 hours in most cases from a dryer outlet, and that's if you've run it down to near zero. If you drive 100 miles, it's more like 4 hours to recharge, so unless you're driving 100 miles the first part of the day and another 100 later, it will rarely be useful. An obvious exception is when you travel to somewhere where there's a Tesla store/service center. For example, if I drive to Houston, if I had the twin chargers (I don't), I could charge at the Tesla "gallery" (it's not a store in Texas!) twice as fast. I do wish I'd considered that aspect!

DanielR | 22 Avril 2013

I have the 60 and I have also been pleased. When I do a standard charge (as opposed to max range), it tops off at 188 rated miles. Using the 240v/40a charging at my house, it will take about 5.5 hours if you are relatively low on miles (e.g., 30 or less miles remaining).

darobin77 | 22 Avril 2013

So do you feel the TwinCharger is not needed ?

jat | 22 Avril 2013

@darobin77 - the one reason you might want the HPWC is if you need to head out of town right after getting home from work. With the HPWC, you can recover the energy used for your commute in half the time. If you have Superchargers nearby, then maybe this isn't much of a benefit -- it is for me, since I don't have any near me.

DanielR | 22 Avril 2013

@darobin: It was a Tesla rep that talked me out of the HPWC. He told me it would easily charge overnight off a 240v circuit. Unless you have a circumstance like jat described above, I would say save your money.

jat | 22 Avril 2013

And I think there is little reason to get dual chargers if you aren't getting an HPWC. Otherwise, the only reasons would be if you live in parts of Canada where high-current L2 chargers are available or if you just want to future-proof the car (and you can add it later, at moderately higher cost).

elguapo | 22 Avril 2013

I ordered dual chargers for my 60kWh but not an HPWC. I did so solely for "future proofing". It costs something like $3,500 to add after you buy the car and as more charging stations get up and running, I figured the dual chargers could be useful in the coming years.

hademarco | 22 Avril 2013

Think of it this way. The only time you will ever be able to use the dual charger is at home. When you are away, most charging stations or network chargers only have one outlet in which you can tap into.

So at home with the HPWC and an additional outlet to plug the other cord in, you can use it. But when you are at home, most likely you have the luxury of time on your hands as the car sits for several hours as it charges.

Like DanielR says, save your money.

markapeterman | 22 Avril 2013

hademarco:

Additional outlet?
Other cord?

I agree with your conclusion, but I don't think you understand how dual chargers work. There is only one outlet and one cord - You can just deliver more AC power (240Vx80amps) to the car which has the ability to convert all 20kW to DC instead of just 10.

jat | 22 Avril 2013

@hademarco - that isn't how the dual chargers work -- it simply means you can charge at 80A/240V rather than 40A/240V. There is still only one outlet and only one connection to the car. To take advantage of it, you need some source that can supply more than 40A, which is either the HPWC or a high-current J1772 EVSE.

I've already outlined the scenario when you are at home and would like to cut your charging time in half.

Anyway, it was worth it for me, but if you don't need it don't get it.

Sudre_ | 22 Avril 2013

I debated the dual chargers in my head for a while..... then I realized I am a little impatient. I am not going to drive 100 miles and sit for 2 hours and repeat this until I get to my long distant destination, if I am lucky enough to find an L2 charger that doesn't have a Volt parked at it. I will wait for superchargers, fly or take the wife's car.

If I have spent an 8 hour day at work I am usually not interested in charging up for 2 hours at home then going on a 2 to 3 hour drive at 7 or 9 at night, then hope for an L2 charger at my destination. If my destination is just a hotel and sleep then I'll just charge slower at home and get up earlier but I am a morning person.

Future proofing to me is the supercharger network. If Tesla fails to get that out before significant L2 charging then Tesla is going to fail because the only reason you will see large scale L2 charging is a competitor installing them.

FYI. The only reason I mention the Volt is because I have noticed at the Botanical Gardens near my house the chargers are always filled up with them. The only reason it annoys me is because they are blocking an EV that actually needs it.

darobin77 | 22 Avril 2013

Thanks all i like @elguapos idea, twin chargers for future use. I guess i have to analyze my driving habits but does anyone know if i prepare my car for twin charging, can i order the Home charging unit later if i feel i need it ?

jat | 22 Avril 2013

@darobin77 - yes, though you will have probably wasted some money on getting your garage wired, as you will need to either run heavier wires than you need for a 14-50 or 6-50 outlet, paying more in case you don't get the HPWC ever, or you will have to replace the wiring later when you do get the HPWC.

DouglasR | 22 Avril 2013

I have twin chargers, but I do not have an HPWC. The reason for the twin chargers is that they facilitate long distance travel in places that do not currently have superchargers or are unlikely to get them. There are a fair number of 70-80 amp power sources near where I live (Seattle) and where I want to drive (California, Canada). These sources are available now, and more are being planned and installed. Superchargers are great, but they are not here now, and they may never be in many of the places I want to go. A viable secondary network of 70-80 amp sources adds greatly to the flexibility of the car.

If you think that you might regret not getting something now, I can assure you that feeling will be 10 times worse after you get the car. That's how it is with homes, generally speaking, and buying this car for me has been about as emotional (and satisfying) as buying my home. You will be forever wondering if you should have spent that extra $10,000. In my case it was the choice between a S85 or a P85. I went with the P because i did not want any regrets and I was willing to pay the premium.

It's all about cost/benefit. Clarify with yourself what your goals are for buying the car. The only real difference between the 60 and the 85 is another 60 miles of rated range. The acceleration differences are within the margin of statistical error, so nothing there. I never considered the S60 because I wanted the range of the 85.

Exsedol | 31 Août 2013

Personally, I would rather save up for an additional year or two (while superchargers are rolling out) and purchase the S85 than 'settle' for a 60Kwh. Several upgrades are thrown into the S85 that are not standard for the S60, which makes the S85 upgrade easy for me to make. I'm still debating whether an extra $10,000 for a second of acceleration is worth it.

joehuber | 31 Août 2013

Don't forget that the 85 also includes the upgraded tires and the SuperCharger capability. So in some sense the extra range only costs $7k...

Besides the extra range, the extra kWh margin in the 85 also helps cover the effects of weather, HVAC use and the potential for long term battery degradation.

Dreamknightmanga | 31 Août 2013

I placed an order for the 60 instead of the 85 and was wondering the same thing. I really looked into my driving habits and found that the longest commute is usually 45 miles highway. On the rare occasion 100 miles max. If we did anything longer we would need an SUV to fit our growing family.This really is a second car so it is a waist of money that we could set aside for the model x when the time comes.